The Kinks, A Well Respected Man | Throwback Vibez

In the 161^st edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “A Well Respected Man” by The Kinks.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 161^st edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “A Well Respected Man” performed by The Kinks.  

The conservative part is a clear-cut turn-off in my book, Ray Davies (b. 1944).  While the affluent, British man that  Davies describes is eye-roll worthy, unless you’re in the same social class, I suppose, there is nothing eye-roll worthy about The Kinks’ (Ray, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory) classic, “A Well Respected Man”. A Well Respected Man” appears in the British band’s 1965 album, Kinda Kinks. Among The Kinks’ highest-charting songs, “Man” peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The theme and lyrics are the crowning achievement of “A Well Respected Man.” This man is perfect in every way… depending on who you ask. In the first verse, his routine is the same every day, with Davies proclaiming, “His world is built ‘round punctuality / It never fails.” In the second verse, his family is upper class but dysfunctional as “His father pulls the maid,” and “She passes looks, as well as bills / At every suave young man.” Damn. It doesn’t stop there. This well-respected man is cocky, confident, and selfish: “And his own sweat smells the best / And he hopes to grab his father’s loot / When pater [his father] passes on.”.  In the fourth and final verse, he wants to date below his status, “But his mother knows the best about / The matrimonial stakes.” What a disgusting tale that has played out around the world many times.  The good news is that The Kinks kill it.  Davies sounds marvelous, highlighting these memorable lyrics with tuneful melodies.  The musical accompaniment is quintessential 1960s rock: heavy drums, noisy, unrefined garage guitars, and a solid foundation provided by the bass.  While the well-respected man is flawed in my eyes, and those of us who aren’t rich, “A Well Respected Man” the song is nothing short of a surefire classic.

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The Kinks » Kinda Kinks » Sanctuary Records Group Ltd. » 1965

The Kinks, A Well Respected Man: Throwback Vibez No. 161 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sanctuary Records Group Ltd.; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]

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